


(i wanna be) the Summer to (your) Salt

by WolfRune20855



Category: Andi Mack (TV)
Genre: Amber is a good big sister, Angst, Gen, Kippen Siblings, Kira is a bitch and I wanna throw fists, M/M, Post 3x13, T. J. Kippen & Amber Are Siblings, TJ and Amber bond, TJ is an emotional mess, coming out scene, literally all this is is family bonding and angst, tj thinks cyrus will never forgive him
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-01
Updated: 2019-03-01
Packaged: 2019-11-07 18:13:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 887
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17965574
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WolfRune20855/pseuds/WolfRune20855
Summary: Following the events of 3x13, TJ finds himself at home, confessing his biggest secret to his sister.Kippen sibling bonding.





	(i wanna be) the Summer to (your) Salt

Flopped atop his bedspread, TJ stared up at the popcorn ceiling of his bedroom, his arm tucked underneath his head. School was hell. That was the only way that TJ could describe it. Spending the day with Kira, instead of Cyrus, explaining to every non-basketball person what his costume was. It was horrible.

But nothing was as horrible as the look on Cyrus’s face when he found out the truth--nothing. TJ had never felt like a worse friend in his life. He’d betrayed Cyrus. That was the look on his best friend’s face this morning--complete and utter betrayal.

There was no way Cyrus didn’t hate him. Not now.

_Classic TJ._

He’d run out of tears an hour ago.

His shirt from that day sat on the top of his hamper. The offensive word _Dribble_ burned into his eyes. He’d spent last night trying to think of ways to apologize to Cyrus--to explain to him that he wanted to be the summer to his salt. He wanted that more than anything else in the world.

And instead, he was the double to Kira’s dribble. It wasn’t even a good idea.

TJ jumped up from his bed and snatched the shirt out of his hamper. Yanking the door to his room open, TJ stormed out, dashed down the hallway and descended the stairs. It was as he was rounding the corner, that the front door opened and Amber let herself in.

TJ halted millimeters away from barreling into his sister. Amber quirked her eyebrow. “Why aren’t you wearing a shirt?”

“I’m...uh…” TJ wasn’t sure how to explain his plans to his older sister. He glanced at the offensive object clutched in his fist. “I’m burning it.”

“Burning it?”

“Yes.” Weaving past his sister, TJ strolled into the kitchen and started going through the drawers, searching for matches. Amber followed him.

“Is there a reason why?”

“It’s a stupid costume.” TJ rummaged through the junk drawer. His vision began to blur. He thought he’d be out of tears by now. Apparently, he was wrong.

_Why was it so hard to find matches?_

“It’s stupid. Costume day is stupid. It’s all just stupid, stupid, stupid.”

A small matchbox appeared before his face, held between Amber’s manicured nails. He reached for them, but Amber snatched them back. “You get the matches when you tell me what’s wrong.” She grabbed his hand, guiding him to the kitchen table and forcing him to take a seat. “Teej.”

 _Cyrus called him Teej._ TJ swallowed a sob. Instantly, he felt Amber’s arms wrap around him. “Hey,” she murmured. “Hey, everything is going to be okay. Remember when Mom and Dad broke up? We thought that that was the end of the world, but it wasn’t. Whatever this is, we’ll get through it.”

Under different circumstances, TJ would have laughed. The last thing that he’d ever call Amber was nurturing, but here she was, looking out for him. Like always.

Amber held him as he cried. Eventually, the sobs stopped and she sat down across from him. Holding his hand tightly in hers, her eyes searched his face, looking for clues. Giving up, she let out a sigh.

“What happened at school, Teej? Why’s costume day stupid? You were so excited about it earlier this week.”

“I was,” TJ agreed. When he’d found out, he’d immediately wanted to ask Cyrus to be his partner in crime. He hadn’t decided on a costume yet, but he’d known that he wanted to do it with Cyrus.

And then he’d gone and ruined it all.

“I did a costume with this girl from school--Kira--she’s a basketball player.”

Amber frowned. “What happened to somersault?”

TJ’s chest shuddered as he spoke, “I… Kira said that everyone would… I couldn’t do a costume with Cyrus, not when Kira asked me to do one.”

“And you like Kira?” Amber asked. TJ swallowed. There was no easy way for him to say this. No easy way at all.

He watched Amber’s eyes widen, coming to the same realization that he had only a few days ago. How happy he felt around Cyrus, how naturally they seemed to fit together, how one simple smile from him could make TJ’s day. It wasn’t normal. It wasn’t…

“You like Cyrus,” Amber whispered.

The words made TJ’s stomach drop. He couldn’t meet his sister’s eyes as he nodded, confirming her worst fears. And now, his dad would kill him.

“Teej, look at me.” TJ met his sister’s stare. She squeezed her hands in his, summoning a smile to her face. “There is nothing--and I mean nothing--wrong with you. Okay? You’re still my annoying little brother.”

TJ chuckled, snot shooting out of his nose as he did so. He was always an ugly crier.

“Being gay doesn’t change who you are, Teej. Screw what Mom, or Dad, or anyone else, think. You don’t have to apologize for who you are. You got that, TJ?”

TJ nodded.

“I need to hear you say it.”

“I got it, Ambs.”

“Good.” Amber removed her phone from her pocket and started typing. “There. I canceled my plans for tonight.” She handed TJ the pack of matches. “Now, let’s light this bitch on fire.”

TJ had never gotten so much pleasure watching something burn in his life.

**Author's Note:**

> Anyways, I don't think I've disliked a disney channel character as much as I dislike Kira. Thanks for reading. I'd love to know what you think.


End file.
